Today we’d like to introduce you to Dani-elle Kleha.
Hi Dani-elle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started singing at the young age of 3 years old. No one else would volunteer to sing for the Christmas pageant at church, and being the loud little kid that I was, I raised my hand and said, “I can’t read the lyrics, but if you give them to my Mom I will learn the song and sing” I sang “Angels Among Us” by Alabama. It was from that moment on I was hooked. I could still remember the moment and how much I loved it. From that day forward, I told my parents I wanted to be a singer; ever since then, they have supported that dream. Fast forward a few years, and I started singing professionally at 9. I would play it out locally, and local bands would ask me to sing songs with them. I was raised on Country Music, and around the age of 11 or so, I realized that was where my heart belonged. I have always loved the storytelling in Country Music and its authenticity of it. I always loved writing poetry, so after starting to take piano lessons which turned into my parents getting me my first guitar and taking guitar lessons, I started to put the words I was writing to music.
When I was 12, my parents and I took our first trip to Nashville, where I started taking vocal lessons and instantly became hooked on the town. It quickly became our second home. I went on to release my first original album, “Eleven,” followed by my latest release, my EP, “Running on Dreams.” I went on to some amazing co-writes over the years and found that my amazing producer, Chip Martin, has gotten to play some of the coolest stages and so much more. I continue to learn more and more every day from Nashville, and for that, I am grateful My music and this journey have always been about the same thing for me, doing what I love while making a difference through it all. I have gotten to live out so many of my dreams, and we continue to work every day to keep making these big dreams a reality and proving that a small-town girl can make them all come true. We are just getting started. Currently, we are getting ready to get back out on the road again on “The Positive Youth Tour,” where my band and I travel to schools, and I share my own stories of the bullying I dealt with and still do, the journey of following your dreams and just overall self-worth. We then conclude with a full band concert, which is truly one of the most amazing things I have done so far. This journey that I get to be on and this music and dream that was placed in my heart is something that I am forever grateful for. I am grateful for my parents, who have supported me since that loud 3-year-old said she wanted to be a singer, and they continue to every day. I am also grateful for my family, band, and team and their constant support, and most of all, thankful for the fans who allow me to chase this dream and do what I love every day; we are all just runnin’ on this dream together, and I am so excited for all that is to come.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Oh, not at all, but that is the fun of it! My parents have always told me that anything worth having will never come easy, which is true! If it were easy, everyone would be doing it! There are a lot of different obstacles along the way, from working with people who end up not being exactly who or what they say they are and more. Come to think of it. I would call things more “obstacles” than struggles, like just finding your way through the industry, learning to grow a thick skin, finding your true “hometeam,” and not listening to the “nay-sayers” out there.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Country Artist, and sharing my music and message with the world is my favorite thing to do. The stage is one of my favorite places to be singing and dancing with the amazing crowds we get to perform in front of. Since day 1, this has always been about doing what I love and making a difference. I always say that if we can make at least 1 person smile in an audience, we do our job. I also love sharing my life on and off stage with my fans and followers on social media. If it weren’t for the fans, I would not get to chase this dream and do what I love every day, so I truly love bringing them into my everyday life. They know my family, my friends, the things I love, the good and bad days. I want them to feel like they have a friend in me through my music and all that I have to share. I am proud of a lot of things that I have been able to accomplish. I am forever proud to be a CMA Member since the age of 12, of having some pretty cool awards that I have won, of shows that I have gotten to play from pre-opening for Jason Aldean and Dierks Bentley and others, to the work that I get to do being an advocate for anti-bullying. There is a lot that I am proud of, but most importantly, I am proud when I hear how one of my songs has touched someone in a way that only music can. Or how for the time they were at my concert they forgot about everything else going on in their world and just had fun. That is what it is all about.
Everything else is amazing, and I am grateful for all that is to come but knowing I have that power to make a difference in someone’s day or life is why I do what I do. A big part of what sets me apart is my authenticity. I am a big “what you see is what you get” person. I live by the saying “Just Be You” and encourage everyone else to live that way too. I love being authentic and transparent through the good and the bad and just being the best me I can be. The Dani-elle you see on stage is the same Dani-elle you see chatting on social media, the same one you will see in Target, and the same one you’d find hanging out with family and friends.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
This is a tough one! Not many people know that I am a huge Classic 80s rock fan. Another thing would be when I am home and have the chance. I love to watch reality tv, haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dani-ellesings.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danisings/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danisings
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/danisingz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/danikleha
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6T9POXPZsS7IfGugCp06tf
Image Credits
Stephen Brian Kurey Bev Moser
